Article via Racer.com

James Roe wants to be an IndyCar Series driver. The Irishman just completed his third season of training in the Indy NXT series with Andretti Global and took the first step in the graduation process by testing an IndyCar on Monday with Juncos Hollinger Racing.

“Awesome day, just great to get in it and feel it out,” Roe told RACER. “Went through a hell of a lot of changes, more than I ever thought were possible today with Juncos crew trying everything out. Think we found some things there. Overall, I think it was pretty positive. Best lap was with no hybrid deploy, no overtake, so put all that in and we should be right there. I want to do more. I said to Ricardo (Juncos) on the in lap, ‘Let’s go test tomorrow!’”

Held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, Roe produced a top lap of 1m 11.600s, which was in the ballpark of fellow NXT runner Lochie Hughes who delivered a 1m 11.354s tour for Andretti Global. Among the first-time runners, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Mick Schumacher was the fastest with a 1m 10.980s.

Juncos Hollinger closed the 2025 season with road course speed as its biggest competitive deficit. The test with Roe helped the team to work through a number of chassis setup ideas that could help the program next year and left JHR’s founder feeling impressed by the 27-year-old’s contributions.

“I think he did a fantastic job in his first-ever IndyCar test, showing a high level of professionalism both inside and outside the car,” said Juncos, who presided over the test. “Compared to other drivers running under the same conditions, James was immediately on pace within his first two outings, showing how quickly he adapted to the new car.

“What stood out to me the most was his feedback and the confidence he showed when communicating with the engineers. He was already guiding them in the right direction, demonstrating not only the right personality and approach but also a strong technical understanding of the race car. I see great potential for him in IndyCar if he’s surrounded by the right program and supported by a well-planned, long-term strategy. Our whole team enjoyed working with him, and we’re excited to see where his development takes him next.”

Finding the right program is going to be hard for Roe as most of the available seats have drivers earmarked for 2026.

“Honestly, I’ll take whatever I can get right now,” he said. “You know, beggars can’t be choosers. At times, it’s hard to know where to driver market is at. Me and my sponsors said we’d get through the test and then then chat about where we can go. I’d take an Indy 500-only program. I’d take a road course-only program, a full season, if I could. More testing. Whatever we can. Today was about getting out and seeing where we’re at and I think it’s looking pretty promising if the right seat opens.”